Broadcast audio/video distribution systems, such as cable broadcast television networks, satellite broadcast television systems, and the like, facilitate the delivery of hundreds of audio/video programming channels to millions of viewers in the United States, as well as many millions more worldwide. As a result, consumers currently enjoy unprecedented access to numerous audio/video programs, including, but not limited to, sporting events, news programs, motion pictures, television series episodes, and special presentations.
Given the enormous amount of audio/video content typically available through such a system, viewer complaints regarding the nature of the content often result. For example, charges of indecent, obscene, slanderous, or otherwise improper broadcast content are often leveled at the source and/or distributor of the content. Since much of this content is not replayed a second time over the same distribution system, access to verifiable proof of the nature of the content in question, such as a recording captured via a digital video recorder (DVR) or video cassette recorder (VCR), is often difficult to obtain despite the large number of potential consumers viewing the content at the time the content was aired.
To facilitate access to previously-aired content, some countries have enacted legislation requiring audio/video broadcast content distributors to maintain a reviewable copy of all content they have broadcast over some immediately preceding period of time, such as a few days or weeks, at all times. Currently, individual television stations, each of which is responsible for one, or perhaps two, audio/video streams, capture such information on an ongoing basis by recording their outgoing audio and video signals just prior to transmission. Although such recording is sometimes performed at a video resolution lower than what was originally broadcast, a significant amount of data is still involved. With such a requirement being imposed on cable and satellite television distributors, each of which may broadcast hundreds of channels, the vast amount of data required to be recorded at any particular point in time, as well as the total amount of storage necessary, is onerous.